More CQP

05Oct

Just a short note to add our summary to the blog postings for CQP 2010. I submitted our score yesterday and I have to reiterate that we both had a wonderful experience in this contest. Choosing multi-single (the old mans category!) and having a contest run only 30 hours is very nice. Although propagation was less than favorable, all in all we seemed pretty successful. In judging success in these sorts of endeavors, one must keep in mind the limitations. In our case no tower, no beam antenna and only a single 50 foot dipole for all bands. 50 foot on 80M is certainly a stretch , but it worked after a fashion as you will see. It is interesting to note that San Diego County provided our most dense QSO contribution.

2010 CQP W5PG Score Summary.

As far as “Done Well”, “Do Better” items are concerned I would offer a few suggestions:

Figure out how to add 160M and more efficiency on 80M while remaining stealthy.

Eliminate the nasty noise source that appears to be being carried by either my gas mains or AC refrigerant copper plumbing.

Spend some time working out better ergonomics.

As in most city lots situations, more antennas, towers and a larger neighborhood presence is out of the realm of possibility so maximizing what you have to work with is paramount. It is, after all, a hobby that must coexist with both family and neighbors, and as such I aim to be a good neighbor. An interesting side note: we ran 500 W all weekend, essentially with a signal on the air for a solid 30 hours with nary a RFI complaint from any quarter. That means more to me and my hobby than anything else I can add.